


Of Pinball Machines & Drainpipes

by Kibasdaydreams



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Explicit Language, FFXVweek 2 day 3, FFXVweek2, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of War, Stand By Me prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 04:07:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7669483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kibasdaydreams/pseuds/Kibasdaydreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What a day this was turning out to be. </p>
<p>But Prompto would be damned if he gave up just because of a two-storey climb up a drainpipe! His friends needed him to man up and help Noctis now more than ever. Even if it did mean climbing up a rusty old drainpipe up two storeys, and was it just him or were those bolts looking rather unsecure?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Pinball Machines & Drainpipes

**Author's Note:**

> Originally for FFXV week 2 day 3 on Tumblr (Stand By Me). Constructive criticism is welcome, but please don't be nasty. I might review this sometime since I wrote it rather quickly. Feel free to follow me on Tumblr: http://kibasdaydreams.tumblr.com
> 
> Enjoy and please comment!

“A pinball machine!” Noctis exclaimed as he ran over to it, sapphire eyes shining sparkling brightly with the excitement of a child that was most certainly not befitting of a man of twenty, especially the Crown Prince (although it was admittedly rather cute). He tore his gaze away from the machine to his friends. “Can we please play, Iggy?” he begged in a way that he knew his advisor would give in to. “Just one round!”

Ignis rolled his eyes, knowing full well that the prince would never be satisfied with just one game, and it wasn’t as though they had the large funds of the Royal Family at their disposal anymore. They had already been forced to spend a sizeable portion of their allowance on medical supplies, a night at the inn, and they were planning to buy dinner at the quaint diner that they were currently in; they simply didn’t have money to spend on frivolous games. 

But, it had been so long since he’d seen Noctis so happy (‘Especially since the incident,’ Ignis thought, glancing quickly at Gladiolus), so perhaps a few extra gil was worth it (and the puppy eyes that the prince was giving him were too irresistible anyway). “All right,” he sighed. He dug into his pocket and placed a handful of coins into his charge’s hands, whose face lit up in glee and surprise. It would have been endearing, had it not reminded the bespectacled man that his prince should not be so excited by a mere few gil considering his royal status. In fact, his prince should not have to endure any of this: dangerous beasts, sleeping in the wilderness, hunting for food, constant attacks from enemy soldiers-

“Best two out of three, Prom!” Noctis declared, quickly inserting a coin into the pinball machine. 

“Just don’t cry when I wipe the floor with you, Noct!” replied Prompto with a cheeky grin as he moved over to his best friend’s side; the blond was always delighted to see him relaxed, and acting as his natural (dorky) self instead of keeping up his usual aloof façade, or being so glum as he was inclined to be these days.

Gladiolus propped an arm up on the device as casually as possible (though the astute observer would notice a flash of a pained expression; Ignis was rather astute). “I’d put my money on Noct if I were you, Chocobo Head,” the burly man chuckled. “He spends most of his free time beating game records.”

“Ah, Gladio, don’t say that!” the gunner pouted. “You gotta cheer for the underdog here!”

Ignis shook his head at their light banter, the corners of his lips tugged upwards in a fond smile. “I suppose I ought to fetch dinner then. Any requests?”

“Yeah,” Gladiolus began. “Four of the biggest burgers they’ve got.”

“All right then-“

“Iggy. That was just for me.”

“Mmm, yeah I’ll also take four burgers,” Prompto chimed in, looking up from the game briefly.

“Your eyes are way bigger than your stomach, kid.” 

“Hey! I’m a growing boy! I need my food!”

“Growing boys don’t get four burgers – they get kids’ meals.”

“That’s too cruel, Gladio!”

“Nobody is getting four burgers!” Ignis interrupted. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and slowly counted to ten. Sometimes his friends had extraordinary talent for agitating his nerves. “I’m going to order now. Noct, is there anything you would prefer?”

The prince didn’t answer. He was far too absorbed in his game; his expression filled with joy and determination.

“… Shouldn’t have bothered,” the bespectacled man sighed, turning around to pick up a menu and head to the counter. Gladiolus and Prompto laughed heartily; poor Ignis hadn’t known that when he’d signed up for this trip he’d basically agreed to be ‘Team Mom’, a role which he would be teased for constantly by the group (though he easily gets back at them by leaving out half the meat and putting in twice as many vegetables in their meals).

Noctis hadn’t felt so at ease in such a long time. He was with his friends, having fun and laughing. They were warm, safe and sound. They had a roof over their heads, and would soon have food and drink in their bellies. Nothing could be more perfect. All of his worries felt as though they were a million miles away: the war, the crystal, Luna, the safety of his friends – it was as though they did not belong to him at this moment. Right now he was simply Noctis: a regular twenty-year-old guy on a road trip with his closest friends.

“Gladio, you should have a go yourself!” Prompto suggested.

Caught up in the fun atmosphere, Gladiolus agreed without a second thought. Sliding his arm from the machine, he pinched a coin from Noctis’ outstretched hand and moved to slot it in–

“Our top story of this evening: more Niflheim troops have been deployed to Lucis following unrest in the capital of Insomnia.”

The sudden announcement from the small TV in the corner caused the group to turn their attention to the newsflash, and the burly man to drop the coin he was holding. Prompto and Gladiolus looked over to Noctis whose mood had noticeably dampened into a rather sombre one. It was obvious that the carefree atmosphere was beginning to crack like fragile glass. Gladiolus desperately sought to restore it by bringing their focus back to the game, and bending down to pick up the coin from where it had rolled underneath the pinball machine, he stretched out his arm–

“Ah!”

And gasped in pain. 

And just like that, the atmosphere was shattered. 

The pain from stretching out his injured shoulder contorted his face, and he immediately withdrew his arm and pushed himself off the tiled floor with his good arm. His uneasy gaze met that of the prince. 

Noctis was horrified. All of the guilt and worries suddenly flooded back into the forefront of his mind. Gladiolus, one of his closest friends, was hurt because of him. Because he was the Crown Prince of Lucis and Gladiolus was his bodyguard, sworn to protect him until his dying breath. He had lost so much in such a short time: his father, his home, the crystal – pretty soon his best friends would probably be joining that list too. He felt a large lump in his throat and hot tears stung his eyes, forcing him to look away. He couldn’t cope with this anymore. He was going to break. “I… I need some air,” he barely managed to choke out before he ran out the door and into the night.

This spurred Gladiolus to follow him, but before he could do so he felt Prompto pull him back. “Gladio,” the blond began, his voice unusually serious. “I think he needs someone outside the royal circle right now.”

“He’s upset–“

“He’s not thinking straight. If you go after him now, he’ll just think that you’re doing it out of duty as his bodyguard, and then he’ll feel worse for dragging you outside. He needs someone who doesn’t necessarily have to be here with him, someone who doesn’t have an official job that involves taking care of him twenty-four/seven.”

Gladiolus still felt unconvinced. He honestly couldn’t give a damn as to how many injuries he suffered while protecting Noctis. He would gladly give his life for him. What was a bullet to the shoulder if it meant that his friend was unharmed? Didn’t Noctis realise that they cared for him as more than their prince? They had watched him grow up from a scrawny little boy into the capable young man he was today. They were practically his brothers! Gladiolus could not simply stand by while Noctis was in such a state of inner turmoil!

“Gladiolus,” Ignis interrupted his train of thought as he returned from the counter. “Let Prompto handle this.”

“But Ignis–“

“It pains me just as much as it pains you to see him like this,” the bespectacled man said. “But there’s nothing you and I can say or do right now to help him get past this. Prompto is right; we ought to sit this one out.”

“Don’t worry,” Prompto piped up. “I’ll get him back to his usual dorky self in no time!”

 

***

Stepping out into the warm evening air, Prompto’s keen blue eyes started searching for Noctis’ familiar form. ‘Just where could he have gone?’ he thought to himself. ‘If I were Noctis where would I go if I didn’t want to be bothered by anyone? Hmmm… If I were a prince who could warp anywhere where would I-?”

The gunner’s head immediately snapped up to the roof; a lone figure was looking out at the inky black canvas of night with his legs dangling off the ledge. The blond sighed deeply, a fond look gracing his features. ‘Of course he got on the roof.’ 

And of course, there was no ladder. 

What a day this was turning out to be. 

But Prompto would be damned if he gave up just because of a two-storey climb up a drainpipe! His friends needed him to man up and help Noctis now more than ever. Even if it did mean climbing up a rusty old drainpipe up two storeys, and was it just him or were those bolts looking rather unsecure?

He gulped audibly, and taking a deep breath (and a few moments of mental preparation) he gripped the metal and quickly scampered up the pipe using intermittent ridges to rest his hands and feet on during his ascent. Thanks to his speed and agility he managed to make it to the top without much difficulty. ‘Wait a sec, how do I get down?!’ Prompto thought just as he was heaving himself up onto the roof. Well, now he was quite literally stuck here until he helped Noctis out of his funk since he’d need his powers to get down.

He dusting his hands off he carefully strided over to where a depressed Noctis was sitting – a pitiful scene which made the gunner’s heart clench unbearably: Noctis’ back was slumped over in a dreary state of inertia, his fingers were fidgeting with his one black glove (something he only did when he was seriously nervous), his sapphire eyes listlessly staring at the horizon as a swarm of thoughts was no doubt buzzing around in his mind. And in the orange light of the signs and lamp-posts, Prompto could just about make out faint tear-tracks staining his pale cheeks and his slightly swollen, red-rimmed eyelids.

Plastering a large grin on his face, Prompto bounded over the last few steps and plopped down next to him, causing Noctis to finally notice his presence before turning his head back to the sky. “Heya, buddy!” he greeted in his most upbeat voice. Pointing upwards he added, “Sure is a nice night for stargazing, huh?” It was obvious that that was not Noctis’ intentions, but Prompto had hoped that appealing to his currently distressed friend’s love of astronomy would help cheer him up.

“… I guess so,” was the hoarse response. Shit, Noctis really had been crying. A lot, it seemed.

“Mmm yeah,” Prompto continued, trying to figure out a way to pull him out of his depression. “I suppose that’s the nice thing about the countryside. Maybe I’ll settle down here someday!”

“… Go.”

“What?”

“Go,” Noctis said in a louder voice. “Go wherever you want. Leave me alone.” 

Prompto frowned, fearing he’d made things worse. “Why would I do that?”

“Because you’ll only get hurt if you stay with me!” Noctis suddenly shouted. This shocked the blond into remaining silent as he continued with his frazzled reasoning. “There’s nothing more dangerous than being by my side! The Niflheim army is searching for me day and night and they won’t stop until I’m dead, and when it’s not them it’s wild beasts and goblins!”

“Is this about Gladio?”

The prince flinched visibly at that, a guilty expression further darkening his features. “Gladio is one of the most highly trained men in all of Lucis, and even he got hurt defending me because it’s his job. And even though his shoulder’s gonna heal this time around, next time he mightn’t be so lucky. And what about the rest of you guys? What if next time you end up getting hurt or killed? I could never live with myself knowing I put you through that. If even Gladio–“

“Okay okay, slow down there!” Prompto cut into his rambling, bracing Noctis’ shoulders with his hands. “Noct, none of us are doing this just because you’re our prince, and we have to protect you. I mean, yeah there’s that and it’s important and all, but we’re doing this because you’re our friend, Noct. We care about you. 

“Take me, for example: I’m just a commoner; I don’t have to be here under any official duty, unlike Gladio and Iggy, but I’m still here, because even though I’m not an appointed bodyguard or anything I’m your best friend, and as your best friend it’s my job to watch your back. And what about Gladio and Iggy? Those guys helped you grow up, Noct. You’re like their little brother. They care about you way more than just as their prince.”

“And what if you guys get killed?!” Noctis exclaimed as he threw off his friend’s hands, a fresh trail of tears streaming down his reddened cheeks. “Prom, I could never bear it if you did that for me!”

“And what if you get killed?” Prompto countered. “You really think that we could live with that? Nobody ever gave a shit about me until you showed up, Noct! You’re the most important person in the world to me, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone put so much as a scratch on you! I know the risks of being here – we all do – but it doesn’t matter because we’ll never abandon you! We’ll stand by you no matter what!”

Neither of them said anything, with nothing save the sounds of their light panting from their heated argument filling in the silence until Noctis spoke up softly, “I-I’m scared for you guys. So many people have already…” 

He finally broke down into loud sobbing, prompting his friend to embrace him tightly in an attempt to sooth his heartache. “I don’t want you to die too! What kind of prince am I if I can’t protect anyone?!” he wailed as he buried his face into Prompto’s shoulder, who could do nothing but rub circles into his back and shush him gently as the other cried.

“Hey, you’re a great prince,” he began softly. “You’ve taken on this dangerous journey so that you can save your people from that bastard.” Noctis let out a strangled laugh. “Most people would have figured it was impossible, and would have probably called it quits by now, but not you. You kept going, Noct – that proves that you really do care about Lucis. 

“But you don’t have to save the kingdom on your own, okay? We’ll help you get it back; that’s what friends do. And everyone has three people looking out for them on the battlefield, so stop worrying that someone’s gonna die.”

This seemed to calm Noctis down from his hysteria, and after a few minutes his sobbing had quietened down into the occasional sniffle. “Thanks, Prom,” he murmured as he withdrew himself from the blond, and wiped his eyes and nose.

“No problem! You’d do the same for me.”

“… Did you mean what you said about Gladio and Iggy?”

“’Course I did! They told me so themselves.”

“What about you?”

“You’re like the brother I always wanted, Noct!”

A mischievous smile made its way to the prince’s lips. “But since I’m older I’m your big brother, right?”

“Huh–?”

“So you’d better start calling me ‘Onii-chan’ from now on.”

“What the fuck, man?!”

“Now that’s no way to speak to your older brother is it, Otouto-chan?”

“That’s seriously fucking creepy, Noct!”

Noctis simply laughed in response. ‘It was so worth the effort,’ Prompto thought as he started joining in himself (despite the fact that it was very much at his own expense). ‘He should always be laughing like this.’

“We should probably go back,” said Noctis as he arose from the ledge. “Iggy is probably having a fit by now.”  
“There’s the Noct I know and love!” Prompto proudly declared. The prince smiled brightly, and he extended his hand to help his friend up. “Well, you’d better warp us down, or something,” Prompto said as he was hauled onto his feet. 

At this Noctis blinked in confusion, before it dawned on him what the gunner had meant. “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” He jabbed his finger in the direction of the back of the building. “I climbed the ladder next to the toilets.”

…

Seriously, the things Prompto does for this guy.


End file.
